Netflix has halted its plans to adapt Rick Riordan’s Kane Chronicles book series into feature films, the author confirmed on Goodreads. Riordan, renowned for the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, revealed that Netflix had abandoned the project after a two-year effort to develop a satisfactory script, allowing their option to lapse.

Announced in 2020 as a film trilogy, The Kane Chronicles adaptation was a widely public and highly anticipated development project. The first installment, based on the book The Red Pyramid (2010), was slated to be written by Diandra Pendleton-Thompson, known for her work on Star Trek: Prodigy. Despite Riordan’s expectation of a new script draft, Netflix’s decision has left the project in limbo.

The series follows Carter and Sadie Kane, teenage descendants of Egyptian pharaohs, in their adventures across three novels: The Red Pyramid, The Throne of Fire (2011), and The Serpent’s Shadow (2012). Riordan also penned spinoff novels where characters from The Kane Chronicles intersect with those from the Percy Jackson universe.

This development contrasts with the recent success of Disney+’s Percy Jackson TV series, which concluded its first season with commendable viewership figures. This comes, however, with the broader industry trend of streaming platforms reducing their development slates, resulting in more cancellations and fewer new productions.

While Netflix has yet to comment on the decision, Riordan remains optimistic that another studio might step in to revive the project. However, he acknowledged the commonality of such setbacks in the film industry, indicating the unpredictability of production ventures.